How to master your equalizer for the perfect sound

...

08/24 20:21

Most folks are at least vaguely familiar with what an equalizer (EQ) looks like. For some of us, those rows of sliders arranged into a kind of smiley face are an icon of the ’80s – remember the one Tom Cruise was forbidden to touch by his stoic dad in Risky Business? Or how about that ridiculous system Ferris Bueller had in his bedroom?

Of course, those old-school component-style graphic EQs have pretty much gone the way of the cassette deck. But the EQ lives on in digital form, found in everything from smartphones and tablets, to wireless speakers, and even streaming services like Spotify.

Unfortunately, understanding how an EQ works and using it properly is a much more elusive concept. You don’t want to pull a Tom Cruise and just shove every slider to the max – that’s going to sound terrible.

EQs put the power of sound sculpting at your finger tips. And you know what they say: With great power comes great responsibility. OK, so an EQ isn’t an actual superpower, but it can get you closer to the sound you’re looking to get out of your gear … if you know what you’re doing. With that in mind, here’s our top-to-bottom guide on using an EQ.

Electronics manufacturers have their own ideas about what a piece of gear should sound like, but EQ lets you have your say. Also, we don’t always get to listen to music in ideal environments. Many of us listen while commuting or exercising, where ambient noise can have a nasty effect on how our music sounds. An EQ can help.

Related: LG unveils three new speakers, each offering 360 degrees of sound

Maybe you have a pretty bass-heavy pair of headphones that you need to tone down a bit. Or perhaps you listen to a lot of EDM, but the treble is too sharp and needs to be pulled back. Whether you’re looking for more punch, a warmer sound, or bass that will rattle your innards, an EQ can help you dial in the sound that suits you best.

RELATED BY

In addition to the expected full, quick, and custom scans for malware, Ashampoo includes a separate scan for removable devices.Three of the labs that I follow test Emsisoft Anti-Malware, and four of them include Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016.

Becoming more agile -- and succeeding at it -- isn't always easy given existing technology investments, constant technological evolution, and lingering cultural obstacles.No matter how agile your company is or isn't now, consider these important points.

Thanks to a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's parent company, cities around the US could soon get a taste of what's popping up all over New York City: screaming-fast, free Wi-Fi that radiates across the city from hundreds of sidewalk kiosks.The subsidiary, Sidewalk Labs, is led by former New York City development official Dan Doctoroff and tends to boast about its ambitions while keeping its specific plans fairly quiet.

Starting this month, Gmail will begin supporting emails made with responsive design.That means if an email has been created to automatically format differently depending on the screen size (the basic idea of responsive design), Gmail will allow that magic to happen.